SCARLET
by breakofthedawn
Summary: Never once in his life would he ever imagine becoming one of them—becoming a being with capabilities that surpassed the laws that scientists have set—but he'd come the impossible just like he had chased. Now, the impossible had managed to find its way into the arms of his co-worker, and he didn't know what to think about it.
1. Chapter 1: Scarlet

**CHAPTER 1: SCARLET**

One of the perks of being a male is not having to undergo the change that pregnancy brings forth onto a woman's body—newly formed curves, inevitable weight gain, and the alike. For most women, they are unable to hide their pregnancies as the fetus develops. Men, however, can continue on with their lives without their friends and families knowing. In fact, there are select occurences in which men are completely oblivious to their pending paternal status. This was the case for Barry Allen—for he spent the entirety of the past nine months without the knowledge that he was in the midst of becoming a father. Instead, he was racing through Central City, fighting crime and evil meta-humans, in a scarlet suit that many have come to admire.

Scarlet Allen was born on the tenth of August, weighing only seven pounds and two ounces, to a woman who had decided to give up the child many months before she was brought into the world. Once the child arrived, her refusal was as physical as it was legal. The woman refused to hold her; she refused to look at her; nothing–she wanted nothing to do with the child, and she didn't want to put herself in a situation in which she might change her mind. She walked out of the hospital hours after, but only after bestowing a name upon the child: Scarlet Allen—the name that will forever connect the child with her father regardless of the circumstances the child might face in the future.

However, in the foster system, not many people wanted her. She was unusual; her heart beat was beyond the normal range, as were her temperature and the rest of her vitals. Many people thought there was something wrong with her; no one wanted a baby that could possibly live a lifetime with health problems and complications, but little did they know that it was the speed force within her causing her to be the way that she was.

At the age of three months, she landed in the arms of Caitlin Snow and Martin Stein, two scientists from S.T.A.R. Labs who have heard about the child's wonders. They were curious beyond belief as they've only heard such symptoms in their own scarlet speedster, Barry Allen. What was the likelihood that a child would hold the speed force within his or her little body? It would be an abnormality, but that's what they lived for—they lived to seek the impossible, fighting and imprisoning those who have become a nuisance to Central City. Although, in this very moment, Scarlet was the one to have found her way into their arms.

"Aren't you a tiny, adorable thing?" Caitlin cooed, cradling the child in her arms. In response, Scarlet's tiny feet and arms moved quickly as she squealed in excitement. She loved the attention that she was receiving, and Caitlin was more than happy to feed her all the regard that she desired.

Dr. Stein, on the other hand, was observing the child from a short distance, noting the way the child's limbs moved and the momentum in which they did. It was a speed beyond the capabilities of a child her age, and the lack of dominance in her movements was evident of her inability to control the speed force within her. "Scarlet, huh?" he said with a smirk, causing Scarlet's attention to flicker in his direction. Her bright blue eyes stared at him—a shade of blue that everyone in Team Flash has all become too familiar with.

It didn't take long for the two scientists to put the pieces together, and a blood sampling was all it took to ensure their theory was correct.

"Barry," Caitlin said over the phone as she stroked the child's brillant red cheeks, "there's someone at the lab that you need to meet."

—-and in a flash, he was there.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, hi, hi! My name is Shannon, and if you're reading this, then you probably read the entirety of the first chapter! I'm not really sure what I should say, so I'm going going to keep this short and sweet: thank you for reading. It'd also mean a whole lot to me if you shared your thoughts and opinions on what I have so far by reviewing this story. :-)**


	2. Chapter 2: Enigma

CHAPTER TWO: ENIGMA

Central City—the home to the infamous scarlet speedster that everyone has come to love and admire.

However, to the scarlet speedster himself, the city was simply a playground that he has triumphed. He knew every nook and cranny of the beloved town and in those crevices laid trouble that was upon his conscious to stop.

This particular winter day was oddly slow, which is comically ironic yet undermining at the same. The crimes consisted of, but were not limited to, a sweet, elderly being robbed on the corner of Grafton and Montgomery and a teenaged boy that was found observing a red streak that he had created across the side of a building.

For the next few hours, Barry loitered in Jitters, switching back and forth between police reports that he still had yet to write and the weekly crossword in the newspaper. A half-empty—or half-full as he'd like to view it as—cup of coffee rested on the table beside his mobile device and a disorganized array of papers. It reflected the brunette well, being the most meticulous example of disorder one would ever come across, which was something that he found comfort in.

Little to no work was completed during his time spent in the café, and although caffeine no longer had an affect on him, he continued to order the beverage to remind him of the normalcy that he had lost. It was the little things that he missed—the feeling of being full after a meal and the ability to become incredibly drunk after a night out with his friends—and they were pieces of his past that he'd never regain as long as he remained the hero that he has come to be. However, despite his dormant desires, he knew better than to linger in the past.

He was content with how things were.

Running his fingers through his unruly hair, Barry leaned back in his chair and let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't figure out the six-letter word that described a mystery, which was the final piece to complete his puzzle.

"Conundrum? No, that succeeds six letters…" he mumbled beneath his breath, tapping the end of pen against his chin. His mind went through every possibility at a speed he could only conjure, but his train of thought came to an abrupt halt as soon as his phone became lit.

Barry picked it up immediately, only for the call to end a few seconds posterior. He wasn't even given the chance to reply before the line had gone silent, causing him to furrow his eyebrows in worry. Phone calls exchanged between himself and the other members of his team were usually nothing more than brief, like this one was, as that was how S.T.A.R. Labs liked to work—they liked to get straight to the point.

Dropping a few spare bills on the table, Barry Allen collected his items and exited the store at a humane pace, and once the coast was clear, he sped through the city in a flash.

"Who?" Barry asked upon his arrival to the laboratory, fixing the collar of his shirt and smoothing out all of the wrinkles that formed. His vibrant eyes trailed around the room until they fell upon Caitlin and Stein, who were both standing near the door that led to their make-shift hospital room—their backs were all that he saw.

Jumping at the sound of his voice, Caitlin turned around with a slight stagger, her caramel curls flying in a wave around her, and the look of upon her face was a mixture of apprehension and glee. "Barry," she began as she took a few steps in his direction, "this is going to sound crazy, but—-"

Barry chuckled and took a seat in the chair that was usually occupied by Cisco. "Crazy's just another Tuesday around here, remember?"

"You speak the truth, Barry," Stein spoke, "but I do not believe that any of us were expecting what has come to us today. Meta-humans, we have knowledge of—-but this.. this miraculous being was an _enigma_ to the world until today."

"What is it?" Barry asked as he leaned forward in his seat. "Who is it?"

Resting her hand upon Stein's shoulder, the two scientists exchanged a silent conversation, and with Caitlin's approving nod, Stein revealed what he described to be an inexplicable mystery. "Barry, meet Scarlet—-" a soft smile graced the woman's face as the words rolled off her tongue.

Curiosity immediately peaked once Barry's eyes fell upon a swaddled bundle nestled in his co-worker's arms. He walked over at a slow pace, not wanting to startle the child, and stroked the infant's scarlet cheek with the tip of his finger.

A squeal of glee pierced the air as Scarlet gurgled happily, communicating in the only way that she could. She wrapped her entire hand around the finger that had touched her cheek, and that was it—she literally had Barry wrapped around her finger. It didn't take long at all.

"Is she yours, Stein?" Barry asked, making the assumption as Stein was the one to hold her.

"No, Barry—-we think she's yours."


End file.
